Samantha MacArthur told how knife-wielding thugs burst into the £2million home she shares with husband Paul Kohler and assaulted him so violently he lost sight in one eye.

The 55-year-old law lecturer tried to fight off his attackers to protect his wife, who was upstairs, and daughter Eloise, who was studying in her bedroom with her boyfriend, but they beat him to the floor.

Ms MacArthur, 50, remembers hearing her husband's screams during the intrusion at 10pm on Monday.

"I heard Paul answer the door and shout something like, 'What?' and then I heard him shout, 'Sam, help, help'," she remembers.

"I raced on to the landing but as I did so, two men came up the stairs with their faces covered. I don't remember screaming, although Eloise says I did."

It is unclear why their home was targeted by the men, who repeatedly asked Mr Kohler where he kept his money.

"I'm still in a state of utter disbelief," she said. "How can this happen in a "safe" neighbourhood like ours?

"I am so angry and worried about how Paul is going to be after this."

FLEE: A suspect was captured removing surgical gloves as he went through Wimbledon Theatre car park [PA]

Ms MacArthur says she lay helpless on the floor listening to her husband's cries for help as one attacker held her down with a hood over hear head.

"I couldn't really take in what was happening, it was like a drama," she recalls.

By the time Ms MacArthur could run to her husband's aid the police had arrived because quick-thinking Eloise had already dialled 999 upon hearing her parents' screams.

She found officers restraining two of his attackers and her battered husband standing next to them.

"He was covered in blood and his face was dreadfully battered," she said. "I couldn't really believe my eyes."

"He is strong and I know he will get through this but obviously I worry for him," she said.

And she is concerned that once her husband recovers from his physical injuries, he will forever have to live with emotional legacy of the attack.

Neighbours and family have rallied round to support the couple.

"I've been incredibly touched by how amazingly supportive family and friends and the community have been," she says.

RUN: The man looked anxious as he fled the scene [PA]

Mr Kohler, head of law at the School of Oriental and African studies, is still in hospital and doctors are running tests to gauge the exact extent of his injuries, which have been described as "extreme".

Ms MacArthur has been left with an overwhelming anger that the happy family home in which they have lived with their four daughters for 20 years was invaded in such a brutal way.

Now, Ms MacArthur wants to get the house back to feeling like the safe haven it should be for her beloved family.

"We don't want the legacy of what has happened to be bars on the windows," she said.

"We want to get the house back to feeling like the friendly welcoming home it has always been."

The couple have known each other for almost 30 years since they met while studying.

They co-own Cellar Door, a basement bar in Covent Garden.

Two Polish men have been charged with aggravated burglary and grievous bodily harm, but two more remain at large.

Police have released a CCTV image of one suspect running through Wimbledon Theatre car park while removing surgical gloves.

HAPPY HOME: The family have lived in the three-storey Wimbledon home for 20 years [SWNS]